The instant pot duo nova Slim is dishwasher safe, which is always nice to see, and really easy to clean by hand. The only quibble we have here is that crumbs can occasionally get caught under the silicon feet that hold up the air fryer plate, which is a little fiddly to clean, but it’s not a huge inconvenience. It’s 20% smaller than some of Instant Pot’s other models, but doesn’t sacrifice capacity, offering 6 quarts / 5.7 liters. Given that many older air fryers of this size offer a reduced capacity of 2 quarts / 2 liters, this is a huge win for the Instant Vortex Slim. On the front of the air fryer is a handle that’s used to pull out the basket, which requires minimal fuss or force.
The sides of the basket also seem to retain a little more oil than other options in our test suite. Get our best recipes, grocery finds, and clever kitchen tips delivered to your inbox. It is definitely worth running the machine, empty, as a test run before trying out a recipe. The model my UPS driver initially delivered had an issue with a fan that wasn’t working, but I returned it for another one, which worked just fine. Yes, I think you should buy it if you’re a big family without much kitchen space. It will turn out lots of food quickly without utterly dominating the space.
It uses a fan to circulate hot air to cook, crisp, or caramelize food faster than the usual radiant heat in a regular toaster or traditional oven. Air fryers began with the reputation of being a “healthy” eating appliance thanks to the lack of oil needed to make classic comfort food like chicken wings and French fries. These days, they’re present in plenty of home kitchens, including those looking to make quick and simple meals or those adding an option beyond the oven or the stove while cooking for a crowd. Convection ovens and air fryer toaster ovens typically cook more evenly than pod-shaped air fryers and give you space to cook more food. Larger-capacity pod-shaped air fryers—anything beyond about 5 quarts—tend to take longer to cook and do so less evenly.
I cooked it at 380 for 1 hour, and it came out done, but pretty average with less than crispy skin. I’d recommend lower and slower if you’re going to cook a full chicken in the Vortex Plus, or try experimenting with a smaller bird like a guinea hen if you can find one at your local butcher. This combination air fryer dreams big and gets a lot of things right, but it’s not without its flaws, and my testing experience left me hoping Instant will make improvements and rerelease it. The preheat and shake notifications are clear, and the window allows you to keep an eye on your food without having to remove the basket. That said, the cooking is automatically paused when the basket is removed, and an alarm sounds if you forget to close it again, which is super helpful. All the controls are intuitive and clearly marked, almost eliminating the need to refer to the manual.
The lastest innovation from Instant is VersaZone, a removable inner section that can turn your air fryer into a dual-zone cooker. The Instant Vortex VersaZone exceeded expectations, and while it’s one of the more expensive air fryers you can buy, our Reviews Editor thinks it’s a perfect choice for families. Achieve that deep-fried taste and texture with little to no cooking oil as your food is cooked by circulating hot air driven by a powerful fan. If you are looking for an air fryer that offers the perfect crunch that most people can only achieve through deep frying, the Instant Vortex Plus is the one for you.
She specializes in cooking appliances, such as the best kettles, and also reviews outdoor grills and pizza ovens. Millie loves to bake, so she will take any excuse to review stand mixers and other baking essentials. When she’s not putting products through their paces in our dedicated testing kitchen, Millie’s reviews are conducted at home, meaning she uses these products in her own day-to-day life. Millie put this air fryer to the test for a number of weeks to make fries, bacon, and roasted vegetables. She will keep this review updated with any thoughts on how it compares to other models on the market.
But because you can control this in 4.5-quart sections, you don’t have to fire up the whole air fryer if you’re cooking a meal for one or a side dish. If you’re looking for an air fryer upgrade, this could be perfect. To test the Instant Vortex, I considered factors like portability, versatility, and overall performance. To judge portability, I first assessed the size and weight of the air fryer and the length of the cord (a longer cord will give you more options for where to put a countertop appliance). I looked at how simple and straightforward the machine is to assemble without instructions, and also considered how easy the control panel was to read and use. The Instant Vortex is ideal for reheating leftovers like day-old french fries or mozzarella sticks.
The Vortex Pro is a versatile appliance that has always your back, no matter what you’re craving. Bake pizza, proof dough, and roast vegetables and beasts of all kinds. Dehydrate fruit for homemade fruit leather, or make your own jerky from your favorite game meats. With the Instant™ Vortex™ Air Fryer, you can create healthier versions of all your favorite fried foods. From fresh to frozen, the Instant™ Vortex™ crisps to perfection with little or no oil.
However, the outsides only had a slight crisp to them — some models were able to make chicken taste just a bit crispier. Another thing I really enjoyed about the VersaZone is that it fits a small cooking tray inside the basket. I was able to add nachos into the base when I removed the main insert, which cooked a lot faster than they would have in the oven. They wanted to know if there was any heat leakage when cooking on the single-drawer mode, so I decided to put it to the test. I cooked a selection of chicken nuggets in one side, and while I didn’t turn the other side on, I put a chicken nugget in the other side to see if it would cook. Plus, the black surface wipes clean and the drip pan and cooking trays are dishwasher safe.